-.TP
-\-\-merge\-order
-When specified the commit history is decomposed into a unique sequence of minimal, non\-linear epochs and maximal, linear epochs\&. Non\-linear epochs are then linearised by sorting them into merge order, which is described below\&.
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-Maximal, linear epochs correspond to periods of sequential development\&. Minimal, non\-linear epochs correspond to periods of divergent development followed by a converging merge\&. The theory of epochs is described in more detail at http://blackcubes\&.dyndns\&.org/epoch/: \fIhttp://blackcubes.dyndns.org/epoch/\fR\&.
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-The merge order for a non\-linear epoch is defined as a linearisation for which the following invariants are true:
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-.RS
-.TP 3
-1.
-if a commit P is reachable from commit N, commit P sorts after commit N in the linearised list\&.
-.TP
-2.
-if Pi and Pj are any two parents of a merge M (with i < j), then any commit N, such that N is reachable from Pj but not reachable from Pi, sorts before all commits reachable from Pi\&.
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-Invariant 1 states that later commits appear before earlier commits they are derived from\&.
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-Invariant 2 states that commits unique to "later" parents in a merge, appear before all commits from "earlier" parents of a merge\&.
-.LP
-.RE
-.IP
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-.TP
-\-\-show\-breaks
-Each item of the list is output with a 2\-character prefix consisting of one of: (|), (^), (=) followed by a space\&.
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-Commits marked with (=) represent the boundaries of minimal, non\-linear epochs and correspond either to the start of a period of divergent development or to the end of such a period\&.
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-Commits marked with (|) are direct parents of commits immediately preceding the marked commit in the list\&.
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-Commits marked with (^) are not parents of the immediately preceding commit\&. These "breaks" represent necessary discontinuities implied by trying to represent an arbitrary DAG in a linear form\&.
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-\-\-show\-breaks is only valid if \-\-merge\-order is also specified\&.
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